💥📝 Hollywood Scribes Going Kū’ē: First Strike in 15 Years, No Aloha for Studios 🎬

Late Monday night, da Hollywood writers wen say, “Eh, we going kū’ē! Enough already!” This one, da first time in 15 years, going cause all kine trouble fo’ Hollywood, all ova one fight fo’ fair kala in dis streaming world. 🎞️💰🌎

Da Writers Guild of America (WGA), get plenny screenwriters, like 11,500 of ’em, all union kine. Dey said, “We hitting da picket lines on Tuesday!” From March time, dey been talking story with da studios, trying fo’ make one new contract. But bumbye, just afta midnight, da old contract wen pau, and da WGA told all da writers fo’ stop writing, lidat! 🕛📃🚫

Da WGA, get one West branch and one East branch, both had da board of directors vote all together fo’ da strike, right at midnight. Dey said da writers, dey facing one “existential crisis.”

Dey wen say, “Da companies, dey making one gig economy inside one union workforce, and dey no like move in dis negotiation. Dey no like respect da profession of writing.” Dey say all kine stuffs about how da studios acting, like no like guarantee any level of weekly employment in episodic TV, making one ‘day rate’ in comedy variety, and no like talk about free work for screenwriters and on AI for all writers. Dey said, “Dey closing da door on their labor force and opening da door to writing as one freelance profession. No way we going agree to dat!” 😤💻🚪

Da Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), da trade group dat talks on behalf of studios and production companies, wen signal late Monday dat negotiations no could reach one agreement before da current contract wen pau. Da AMPTP said dey wen make one offer with “plenty kala increase for writers as well as improvements in streaming residuals.” But still yet, no could make one deal. 💔🎥📺

Da labor fight could make all kine ripple effects on TV and movie production, all depending how long da strike going last. But plenty people been seeing dis coming, ’cause get plenty discord. Da writers last month wen vote, and 98% of ’em wen say “A’ole!” to da old way, and “Ae!” to da strike. 🗳️✊🔥

Da big problem is how da writers get paid in one industry where streaming done changed all da rules of Hollywood economics. Da writers, dey say dey no get enough kala, da TV writer rooms getting too small, and da old way for how residuals are paid out gotta be changed. 💵📉🔄

Da guild wen say, “Da survival of our profession stay at stake.” Streaming done explode da number of series and films dat are made every year, meaning mo’ jobs for writers. But da WGA members say dey making less kala and working under mo’ kūpiliki’i conditions. Showrunners on streaming series only get 46% of da pay dat showrunners on broadcast series get, da WGA says. Get plenny content, but da pay stay low. 📈💸📉

Da guild looking for mo’ kala on da front-end of deals. Plenty of da back-end payments writers used to make — like from syndication and international licensing — been mostly cut by da streaming. Mo’ writers, almost half, are getting paid minimum rates, dat’s 16% mo’ than da last ten years. Da use of da small kine writer rooms been going up, too. 📚💰⏬

Da AMPTP wen say on Monday dat da main sticking points to a deal wen revolve around those small kine rooms. Da guild like have one minimum number of scribes per writer room and mo’ flexibility ’bout how long dey can work. Da guild wen say, writers need mo’ flexibility when dey contracted for series dat been more limited and short-lived than da once-standard 20-plus episode broadcast season. ⏳🎬🔄

At da same time, studios stay under big pressure from Wall Street fo’ make profit with their streaming services. Plenty studios and production companies cutting their spending. Da Walt Disney Co. cutting 7,000 jobs. Warner Bros. Discovery slashing costs fo’ lessen their debt. Netflix hitting da brakes on spending growth. 💼📉🏦

When Hollywood writers strike, usually stay long time. In 1988, one WGA strike wen last 153 days. Da last WGA strike went for 100 days, starting in 2007 and ending in 2008. ⏳⚡🗓️

Da most immediate effect of da strike viewers likely going notice gonna be on late-night shows and “Saturday Night Live.” All expected to immediately go dark. During da 2007 strike, late-night hosts eventually came back and improvised material. Jay Leno wrote his own monologues, a move that angered union leadership. 🌙📺🚫

Scripted series and films going take longer to be affected. But if a strike wen last through da summer, fall schedules could be all over da place. And in da meantime, not having writers available for rewrites can make one big difference on quality. Da James Bond film “Quantum of Solace” was one of many films rushed into production during the 2007-2008 strike with what Daniel Craig called “the bare bones of a script.” 🎞️📝🕵️

With a walkout long expected, writers been rushing to get scripts in and studios been trying to prepare their pipelines to keep making content for at least the short term. “We’re assuming the worst from a business perspective,” David Zaslav, chief executive of Warner Bros. Discovery, said last month. “We’ve got ourselves ready. We’ve had a lot of content that’s been produced.” 🏃‍♂️💨🖊️

Overseas series might also fill some of da void. “If there is one, we have a large base of upcoming shows and films from around the world,” said Ted Sarandos, Netflix co-chief executive, on the company’s earnings call in April. 🌍📺🌏

But da WGA strike might just be da start. Contracts for both the Directors Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA, the actors union, expire in June. Some of the same issues around the business model of streaming going factor into those bargaining sessions. The DGA is set to begin negotiations with AMPTP on May 10. 🎭🎬🤝

Da cost of da WGA’s last strike cost Southern California $2.1 billion, according to the Milken Institute. How painful this strike is remains to be seen. But as of late Monday evening, laptops been closing shut all over Hollywood. 💻🌆🌙

“Pencils down,” said “Halt and Catch Fire” showrunner and co-creator Christopher Cantwell on Twitter right afta da strike announcement. “No even type in da document.” 🚫✏️💬

And so, da Hollywood writers stay kū’ē, standing strong fo’ fair kala and respect. Da effect on da industry? Going see. But one thing fo’ sure – this strike going make waves, and everybody going feel ’em. 🌊🎬✊

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NOW IN ENGLISH

💥📝 Hollywood Scribes on Strike: First in 15 Years, No Love for Studios 🎬

Late Monday night, the Hollywood writers declared, “Hey, we’re going on strike! Enough is enough!” This, the first time in 15 years, is going to cause all kinds of trouble for Hollywood, all over a fight for fair pay in this streaming world. 🎞️💰🌎

The Writers Guild of America (WGA), with plenty of screenwriters, about 11,500 of them, all unionized. They announced, “We’re hitting the picket lines on Tuesday!” Since March, they’ve been negotiating with the studios, trying to forge a new contract. But eventually, just after midnight, the old contract expired, and the WGA instructed all the writers to stop writing, just like that! 🕛📃🚫

The WGA, with a West branch and an East branch, both had their board of directors vote unanimously for the strike, right at midnight. They claimed that the writers are facing an “existential crisis.”

They stated, “The companies are creating a gig economy within a union workforce, and they are not budging in these negotiations. They do not respect the profession of writing.” They criticized the studios for actions like refusing to guarantee any level of weekly employment in episodic TV, creating a ‘day rate’ in comedy variety, and avoiding discussion about unpaid work for screenwriters and on AI for all writers. They said, “They’re closing the door on their labor force and opening the door to writing as a freelance profession. We are not agreeing to that!” 😤💻🚪

The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), the trade group that speaks on behalf of studios and production companies, signaled late Monday that negotiations couldn’t reach an agreement before the current contract expired. The AMPTP claimed they made an offer with “substantial pay increases for writers as well as improvements in streaming residuals.” But still, no deal could be made. 💔🎥📺

The labor dispute could cause all sorts of ripple effects on TV and movie production, all depending on how long the strike will last. But many people saw this coming, due to extensive discord. The writers voted last month, and 98% of them rejected the old way and approved the strike. 🗳️✊🔥

The big problem is how writers are paid in an industry where streaming has changed all the rules of Hollywood economics. The writers claim they are not paid enough, the TV writer rooms are getting too small, and the old way of how residuals are paid out needs to be changed. 💵📉🔄

The guild stated, “The survival of our profession is at stake.” Streaming has exploded the number of series and films that are produced every year, meaning more jobs for writers. But the WGA members claim they are making less money and working under more difficult conditions. Showrunners on streaming series only receive 46% of the pay that showrunners on broadcast series receive, the WGA states. There’s plenty of content, but the pay is low. 📈💸📉

The guild is looking for more money on the front-end of deals. Many of the back-end payments writers used to receive — like from syndication and international licensing — have been mostly cut by streaming. More writers, almost half, are getting paid minimum rates, that’s 16% more than the last ten years. The use of smaller writer rooms has been increasing, too. 📚💰⏬

The AMPTP stated on Monday that the main sticking points to a deal revolved around these smaller writer rooms. The guild wants a minimum number of writers per room and more flexibility about how long they can work. The guild argued that writers need more flexibility when they’re contracted for series that are more limited and short-lived than the once-standard 20-plus episode broadcast season. ⏳🎬🔄

Meanwhile, studios are under significant pressure from Wall Street to turn a profit with their streaming services. Many studios and production companies are cutting their spending. The Walt Disney Co. is cutting 7,000 jobs. Warner Bros. Discovery is slashing costs to reduce their debt. Netflix is putting the brakes on spending growth. 💼📉🏦

When Hollywood writers strike, it usually lasts a long time. In 1988, a WGA strike lasted 153 days. The last WGA strike went for 100 days, starting in 2007 and ending in 2008. ⏳⚡🗓️

The most immediate effect of the strike that viewers are likely to notice will be on late-night shows and “Saturday Night Live.” All are expected to immediately go dark. During the 2007 strike, late-night hosts eventually came back and improvised material. Jay Leno wrote his own monologues, a move that angered union leadership. 🌙📺🚫

Scripted series and films will take longer to be affected. But if a strike were to last through the summer, fall schedules could be completely disrupted. And in the meantime, not having writers available for rewrites can make a big difference in quality. The James Bond film “Quantum of Solace” was one of many films rushed into production during the 2007-2008 strike with what Daniel Craig called “the bare bones of a script.” 🎞️📝🕵️

With a walkout long expected, writers have been rushing to get scripts in and studios have been trying to prepare their pipelines to keep making content for at least the short term. “We’re assuming the worst from a business perspective,” David Zaslav, chief executive of Warner Bros. Discovery, said last month. “We’ve got ourselves ready. We’ve produced a lot of content.” 🏃‍♂️💨🖊️

Overseas series might also fill some of the void. “If there is one, we have a large base of upcoming shows and films from around the world,” said Ted Sarandos, Netflix co-chief executive, on the company’s earnings call in April. 🌍📺🌏

But the WGA strike might just be the start. Contracts for both the Directors Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA, the actors union, expire in June. Some of the same issues around the business model of streaming are going to factor into those bargaining sessions. The DGA is set to begin negotiations with AMPTP on May 10. 🎭🎬🤝

The cost of the WGA’s last strike cost Southern California $2.1 billion, according to the Milken Institute. How painful this strike is remains to be seen. But as of late Monday evening, laptops have been closing shut all over Hollywood. 💻🌆🌙

“Pencils down,” said “Halt and Catch Fire” showrunner and co-creator Christopher Cantwell on Twitter right after the strike announcement. “Don’t even type in the document.” 🚫✏️💬

And so, the Hollywood writers are on strike, standing strong for fair pay and respect. The effect on the industry? We’ll see. But one thing’s for sure – this strike is going to make waves, and everyone is going to feel them. 🌊🎬✊